1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to document management that manages document data stored in a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a technique for registering, updating, deleting, and acquiring documents managed by a document management apparatus, i.e., for sharing documents, using a Web browser or dedicated software which runs on a client PC between networks connected to each other via the Internet, intranet, or the like.
In order to access the document management apparatus, the user must transmit user identification information such as a user ID, password, and the like, which are issued upon registering user information in that apparatus, and be authenticated. The user identification information is not only used to check an access right upon browsing documents. Upon registering or updating a given document, the user identification information is associated with that document to preserve the manipulation record of the document.
Upon updating a document, the user issues a document update declaration called check-out first to exclude update processing by another user. That is, the user who checked out the document is ready to exclusively update that document. The user modifies the checked-out document, and executes a sequence for updating the check-out document by the modified document (this sequence is called check-in, and after this processing, the exclusive control state of the document is canceled). Note that many document management apparatuses having these functions are already available.
In this way, the document management apparatus excludes the update processing by another user to a document while a given user is checking out the document. For this reason, the update processing of that document by another user stands by until the user who checked out the document cancels the check-out status or checks in the document (i.e., to cancel the exclusive control state). If the user neither cancels the check-out status nor checks in the document while he or she is checking out that document, the other user cannot update that document.
Especially, in a project in which a plurality of users update specifications and the like, a document update assigned to a given user is to be immediately reflected in other documents to ensure consistency among documents. However, other operators cannot update a checked-out document unless an operator who checked out that document cancel the check-out status or checks in the document, thus delaying the document update operation.
If another operator illicitly uses the user identification information of the operator who checked out the document, he or she can check in that document. However, such process is not permitted in terms of security. Of course, it is possible for the administrator of the document management apparatus to forcibly cancel the check-out status. However, the update operation of the operator who checked out the document is wasted, and labor hours of the administrator are undesirably required.